Cancun deep-sea fishing
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I did this at Grand Cayman Island. It was a good experience but after on board they said it was the wrong time of year to get the trophy fish. We did catch many barracuda. I would ask if your time works for the fish you want to catch are in the area.
We had a good experience doing it. Recommend bringing along a deck of cards or book as there can be a lot of dead time. We were in Cabo when we tried it. Rely on the guides.
I was hoping for a service/guide recommendation. There's several in Cancun but some look sketchy and I really don't want to end up out in the middle of the ocean on a broke-down boat. Anyone?
Went twice in Mexico. Once on Cozumel. Cut rate operation did not catch anything and gear was crap . (But got to poke a live crocodile with my rod.) BTW- Went inland not deep sea.
Went 2nd time about 30 minutes north of Cancun. Again went more inland and not deep sea. Had fun and wife and I caught 6-7 barracudas and a bonefish.
I'd check the locals and internet to make sure stuff is biting before spending money. Also, you can often roll in some snorkeling if you are into that.
Went 2nd time about 30 minutes north of Cancun. Again went more inland and not deep sea. Had fun and wife and I caught 6-7 barracudas and a bonefish.
I'd check the locals and internet to make sure stuff is biting before spending money. Also, you can often roll in some snorkeling if you are into that.
Yeah, I won't be poking anything with my rod except my wife, hopefully.... doubtfully.
We did this while in Cancun many years ago. We booked through the concierge desk at our hotel. My tip- TAKE DRAMAMINE! The ocean was so rough I spent the entire time puking over the side of the boat. The other folks caught fish but I couldn’t manage. Two of the most miserable hours of my life.
Depending on age of your son I’d look at more inshore/flats fishing. Deep sea is a lot of time watching rods as you drive a boat around unless your deep jigging on rigs. Inshore is casting for bonefish, permit, snook, snapper, etc. it can be much more entertaining and more action for a younger one.
My son is 11 and we go inshore fishing every year in Florida and he loves it. But I won’t take him deep sea fishing yet because of the long stretches of nothing.
My son is 11 and we go inshore fishing every year in Florida and he loves it. But I won’t take him deep sea fishing yet because of the long stretches of nothing.
You can try asking the hotel but they don't really have any idea. One thing that worked for me was asking some of the life guards out by the beach. Look for guys wearing Costa brand glasses, good chance they fish. The biggest thing to remember is they really don't care how rough the water is, they'll take you out. It's not like in the US where they'll refund some money if you can't handle it, you sign a waiver stating you choose to come in early so they don't give you anything back. Also, it's not the greatest fishing area either. I understand you can have good days and bad days but overall, not the best spot. Also, if you are staying at a resort, make sure to ask the restaurant at the resort if you can bring them your fish to cook. I let them cook it for me at the marina and the guide took half of my fish.
Sorry dumb question but what exactly is the difference between deep sea and inland? Is inland just not as far out?
Also, not to derail the thread but I'm taking my boy fishing in Puerto Vallarta so any recommendations for there would be appreciated!
Deep sea is generally farther out, bigger fish, longer trips. Inland is smaller fish, better odds of catching and shorter trip.
We're looking at going in Puerto Vallarta in March. This morning I emailed two charter boat companies asking what to expect in March.
My expert (not) advice would be: just go golfing.
I'll just second this response as its the only experience I have. I went deep sea fishing when I was around 13 off of Cozumel and found it boring. Lots of driving the boat around and waiting. You didn't get to do anything until a line was hooked and you assisted them in reeling it in for a minute.
Thinking back on it I much rather do something else with my limited time in Mexico than this unless you're really into fishing. I'm more of an adventure/scuba guy. (With drinking in between of course)
As someone already said deep sea is generally long runs miles offshore to deep troughs or structure where fish concentrate. Inshore (not inland) fishing is closer to shore generally flats, inter coastal waterways and canals, or near shore structure where tidal currents pool bait and can be in water as shallow as 1 foot but generally 4-20. Deep sea will have a small chance at a huge fish if you’re targeting bigger fish like marlin, swordfish, etc but generally most deep sea trips end up with gag grouper, small mahi, etc that aren’t any bigger and can be smaller than fishing inshore.
I prefer inshore by far as it is very active fishing with lots of casting and sight fishing. I’ve caught anything from a 1 lb mangrove snapper to a 90 pound tarpon with lots of 5-50 pound fish in between. Have had multiple 4-8 foot shark at boat as well. If you are paying for a guide inshore is a better bang for your buck too as you generally have a 5-15 minute boat ride to start fishing instead of an hour+ each way. Many people like the appeal of deep sea fishing but the reality of a deep sea trip rarely match the expectation set by the brochures.
I fish in the Gulf of Mexico 3-5 times per year and have done both inshore and deep sea. I haven’t gone deep sea in 5 years and will only go again to allow each of my kids to try it once. But like I said earlier they go inshore with me and love it. Watching an 8 or 11 year old fight a big redfish, speckled trout, or snook on 15 lb spinning tackle is a sight to see. They will never forget that experience.
Thanks for all the advice. It was my son's idea so if he's bored he'll just have to deal with it
Sounds like this time of year isn't the best fishing but also not the worst and the place I've booked guarantees a catch and i've booked early enough in the trip that would could go again if we don't catch anything and want to. We've both been on a boat in rough ocean water before and neither got sick so I think we're okay there. If nothing else it's 4 hours he won't be on video games.
Sounds like this time of year isn't the best fishing but also not the worst and the place I've booked guarantees a catch and i've booked early enough in the trip that would could go again if we don't catch anything and want to. We've both been on a boat in rough ocean water before and neither got sick so I think we're okay there. If nothing else it's 4 hours he won't be on video games.
Just following up. We had a blast. It was pretty rough and I did get a little sick after I had to go below deck to pee. As long as I was above deck I was fine. And we were busy pulling in fish most of the time. We caught: a good size king mackerel, a small shark, a pretty big grouper, 5 big amberjack, red snapper, a few other smaller fish I don't remember what they called them. Will try to post pics but on phone right now.
Best $ I spent on the whole trip.
Best $ I spent on the whole trip.
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Just booked a trip for the 2nd week in May. Any fishing recommendations? Specifically, guide/charter recommendations. I think I'd rather do in-shore fishing. Did a deep sea charter in Gulf Shores last June and was not impressed.
My experience is your odds of catching fish in shore vs deep see are about 10X better. Barracuda and bonefish can be great fun. Don't have any specific guide recommendations but there are a lot of sites that will tell you what fish are more likely to bite in certain months and you can narrow down guides from there.
